The words carried a certain ambiguity and intimacy, as if the two were already a long-term cohabiting couple about to enter marriage.
Song Ruannin stiffened.
So Zhai Yu had gone abroad and encountered Lin Qianyu back then.
Then they fell in love.
After a brief pause of two seconds, she curled a faint smile at the corner of her lips and looked at Lin Qianyu, saying nothing more.
Beside her, Bai Yuwei let out a disdainful scoff.
Just living in the same neighborhood doesn’t mean sharing the same house.
What was Lin Qianyu trying to prove by acting so familiar with Brother Yu here?
Suddenly, Lin Qianyu stood up and moved to sit beside Song Ruannin, linking arms with Ruan Ning. “Miss Song, I heard you used to date Zhai Yu.”
Her words stunned everyone present.
The matter everyone tacitly avoided mentioning was now laid bare, instantly freezing the atmosphere.
Shen Yi glanced twice at Zhai Yu sitting opposite him. The man remained composed, seemingly indifferent.
Lin Qianyu looked gently at Ruan Ning. “Miss Song, I don’t mean anything else by it. Please don’t be afraid.”
She then turned her gaze to Zhai Yu. “But then again, A-Yu and I being together was, after all, the wish of both our families. I never expected to meet Miss Song. What I want to say is—”
Song Ruannin guessed what she intended to say and replied calmly, “Miss Lin, I understand what you mean.”
She glanced at Zhai Yu. “What happened between Mr. Zhai and me was just a brief interlude many years ago.”
“I now have a husband and a six-year-old daughter. You have nothing to fear from me.”
She took a deep breath, her tone growing firmer. “Mr. Zhai and I were together back then out of youthful ignorance. Campus romance shouldn’t be taken too seriously.”
“You and Mr. Zhai are well-matched. I wish you both the best. I’ve had enough to eat and won’t disturb you any longer.”
With that, Ruan Ning stood up and left, unaware of the sharply dropping chill in the air around her.
The man who had appeared nonchalant just moments ago now wore a dark, gloomy expression.
Shen Yi looked at Zhai Yu’s cold face, then at Song Ruannin’s retreating figure.
He apologized and stood up to chase after her.
Lin Qianyu now noticed the man’s displeased expression.
She apologized, “A-Yu, I really didn’t mean anything else by saying those things.”
“I’ve waited for you for so long. I don’t want any more mishaps, and I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Auntie also said that if there are no other circumstances, we can prepare for our engagement.”
“I only did this to confirm—”
The man laughed, a cold, icy laugh laced with frost. “I’m getting engaged? How come I didn’t know?”
Lin Qianyu’s confidence instantly wavered. “It was Auntie, she said—”
“If she said it, then go marry her.”
The man stood up and glanced at his phone. “A car will come to pick you up in an hour. You don’t need to appear before me again.”
“And while you’re at it, tell my mother that I have no plans to marry right now.”
Panicked, Lin Qianyu grabbed Zhai Yu’s arm. “Zhai Yu, I—”
Zhai Yu gave her no chance to speak further. He shook off her hand, grabbed his coat from the sofa, and strode away.
Bai Yuwei, who had been watching the scene unfold, wore a triumphant smile. “So what if you’re the eldest daughter of the Lin family? How foolish. My brother hates being pressured the most.”
“He hated it when Song Ruannin pressured him into a relationship back then. I never thought you’d pull the same trick. I expected you to be smarter than Song Ruannin.”
Lin Qianyu shed her gentle demeanor and looked at Bai Yuwei with disdain.
“And what are you, anyway?”
“Do you think without Song Ruannin and me, you could marry your brother?”
“A housekeeper’s daughter—back then, it was only because the Zhai family was in trouble and had no other choice that Zhai Yu was sent to your family to be raised for a few years.”
“Do you really think of yourself as a daughter of the Zhai family?”
“If not for coincidence, you would never have seen Zhai Yu’s face in your lifetime.”
After saying this, Lin Qianyu also strode away.
Bai Yuwei stomped her feet angrily on the spot.
Ruan Ning kicked the small pebbles under her feet all the way.
Shen Yi hurriedly caught up with her and grabbed her wrist: “Ruan Ning, are you okay?”
Song Ruannin replied calmly, “I’m fine.”
What could possibly be wrong? It was just being publicly warned and humiliated by a wealthy young lady.
These hurts were much better than the cold words and disdainful looks she received after her father’s incident years ago.
She wasn’t that fragile.
Shen Yi could tell she was in a bad mood: “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have agreed to let them come today.”
Song Ruannin used to be a young lady herself. How could she possibly be okay psychologically after being publicly questioned like that?
He looked at Song Ruannin’s profile; the woman’s indifferent face showed no expression at all.
“Let’s go. Didn’t you say there’s a meteor shower tonight?” Ruan Ning said.
Shen Yi was taken aback, only then realizing they were heading in the direction of the mountain.
Cui Mountain wasn’t very high, and the two soon climbed to the summit via the shortcut.
At the stargazing platform, some other employees had already arrived.
They exchanged a few pleasantries and greeted each other.
Zhou Ying excitedly ran up to Ruan Ning, talking about how thrilled she was to see the meteor shower.
Everyone waited for an hour, but instead of a meteor shower, they were met with winter rain.
The rain grew heavier, coldly pelting their faces.
Shen Yi grumbled, “What terrible weather! How could it start raining just like that?”
Song Ruannin pulled up her cotton coat hood: “Let’s head back quickly.”
People on the mountain gradually made their way down. As Song Ruannin descended, she passed by Bai Yuwei.
Bai Yuwei grabbed Shen Yi: “Have you seen Brother Yu?”
Shen Yi pulled his hand away, his tone cold: “Haven’t seen him.”
Bai Yuwei bit her lip: “Brother Yu is missing.”
What could happen to a grown man going missing? Neither Song Ruannin nor Shen Yi took it seriously.
The group descended the mountain. Next to the barbecue campsite was a homestay, where many employees who had brought their children were already resting.
But there was no sign of Zhai Yu in the homestay either; his Cullinan was still parked not far away.
Shen Yi sensed something was wrong and quickly called Zhai Yu.
The call wouldn’t go through, and Shen Yi panicked.
He was the one who had invited Zhai Yu—the youngest son of the Zhai family, Yunmeng’s major investor.
If anything happened to Zhai Yu, if he were harmed in any way, Shen Yi might as well prepare to face Mr. Zhai and Mrs. Zhai with his head in his hands.
Song Ruannin comforted him: “Don’t panic yet. He’s a grown man; he knows how to take shelter from the rain.”
After several more unsuccessful calls, Shen Yi went knocking on every male employee’s door.
“Everyone, stop sleeping. Come with me to search for him.”
Awakened, everyone put on raincoats, grabbed high-beam flashlights, and rushed into the rainy night.
Song Ruannin sat alone in the homestay villa lobby. Time passed minute by minute; the group had been gone for over twenty minutes.
She stared at the green military overcoat and umbrella in the box by the entrance.
Involuntarily, she recalled how, many years ago, on every rainy night, Zhai Yu would hold her tightly—a rare display of affection.
It seemed… Zhai Yu was afraid of the rain.
As if having made up her mind, Ruan Ning suddenly stood up, hurriedly put on her coat, grabbed a high-beam flashlight, and rushed into the rainy night.
The rain grew heavier, and the light from the high-beam flashlight illuminated the mountain path brightly along the main road leading uphill.
Song Ruannin suddenly remembered the path she had taken while gathering firewood earlier that day.
The locals here had told her that it was also a route up the mountain, but more hidden and rugged.
After a moment of thought, she turned and headed toward that narrow trail.